Enchanted
by missinhalf
Summary: Sakura has never believed in curses, but as she flips through the pages of a book of curses a picture catches her eye. Studying the picture only makes things surreal because Sakura has the same black cherry blossom on the left side of her chest, directly over her heart. Also an angst, adventure and action fic. [sasusaku au]
1. Chapter 1

Relentless flames devour everything in sight causing the Land of Nature to burn to the ground. Thick, dark smoke fills the air and the lungs of civilians and solider alike as fields of greeneries perish from the flames. Homes and shops are vandalized, and knights show no mercy as they spill the blood of the innocent. Screams rip through the throats of the civilians as they desperately run as fast as they possibly could for their lives. Some are lucky as they find shelter from the knights that ruthlessly pursues them, while some are not as they effortlessly slice or stab their swords through them with no forms hesitation.

Dark onyx eyes watch from the top of the castle at the sight below him. Turning his back to the window, his eyes fall onto the Queen of the Land of Nature, Mebuki. Her green dress is decorated with embroidery of small pink flowers that hugs her perfectly, flaring out at her is on her knees, her left arm painted red from the blood that leaks from the wound she received from his sword. The crown that she has worn proudly on her head since she was married had been torn from her head causing her dirty blonde hair to lay messily around her face.

Her dark green eyes watches in horror as the man holds her beloved six month old daughter in his left infant does not wake from the bloodcurdling screams that fills the night air as she sleeps peacefully in his arms. He raises his right hand to her face, brushing her pastel pink locks away from her face and caresses her soft cheek.

"I never thought I would see the day that the Land of Nature would crumble, oh wait, _burn_ to the ground. Did you, your Majesty?"

He diverts his glance off of the sleeping infant and onto the Queen as she sits silently on the ground, her eyes not on him, but on her precious daughter. Her only daughter in the arms of the man that enlisted the aid from her Land's worst enemy, the Land of Flames.

"Why?" She breathlessly whispers. Her eyes slowly shift off her little bundle of joy and to her husband, the King, on his knees beside him. Her heart aches, but she tries with all her might to stay calm and brave for the sake of her daughter and her husband.

Kizashi locks eyes with his wife and sees a tear trails lazily down her ivory face. Breaking eye contact with him, her gaze falls upon the man behind her husband. The man is their sworn enemy, the King of the Land of Flames.

The King holds his sword against the neck of Kizashi. He smirks tauntingly down at Kizashi, tasting sweet victory on his Lands had been enemies for centuries and now, as the King inches his sword closer to Kizashi's neck, there will be no more enemies for his Land for the Land of Nature will no longer exist from this day onwards.

Kizashi does not tremble with fear from the sword. His wife's glance gives him courage, but seeing as hers is fleeting he's trying desperately to stay strong for his family.

"Why are you doing this?" He sternly addresses the man who holds his daughter, "What is your gain from helping the Land of Flames?"

Onyx eyes fall upon Kizashi as he chuckles to himself. "Because I want this Kingdom to be wiped from existent," the man gleefully explains as he walks away from the window to stand by the door. With his back to the Kings and Queen, he turns his head towards them, a broad smile decorating his face. "Let's go," he calls out to the King of Flames who simply nods his head as he retracts his sword from the King's neck and places it in its sheathe.

He saunters towards the onyx eyed man, his red cape floating behind him as he makes his way across the room. He stops when he's a couple of feet away from Kizashi. The King of the Land of Flames withdraws his sword, and with a smile that reaches his eyes, stabs it right through Kizashi's chest.

All he hears is his wife's screams that fills him with more pain knowing that he's failed in protecting her and their daughter. Blue eyes widen by the sensation of the cool blade entering his chest and exiting through his back. Just as quickly as the blade entered his body, it exits causing him to tremble on his knees.

Blue eyes lock with the onyx eyes of the man who holds his daughter as they look down at him mockingly, a subtle gleam in his eyes at the sight of him.

The King doesn't say anything as he turns, re-sheathes his sword and walks away as the Kizashi topples to the cold, stone ground. Thoughts of his pink haired infant flashes in his mind as he'll never get to see her grow up into a beautiful young woman. He'll never get to see her walk, or talk. He'll never get to hear her call him Papa and his wife, Mama. He'll never get to hear the words of love fall from her mouth when she tells them, "I love you." He'll never get to see her fall in love, or walk down the aisle in a beautiful wedding dress. He'll never get to see or love his grandchildren and future son-in-law. And she'll never get to know how much he loved her.

The King leaves the room, but the man drops his cold glance onto the child. "Bring Queen Mebuki. She's going to enjoy what I've got in store for her," he calls out to the knight who is standing watch by the door. A smile brightens across the man's face as Kizashi's eyes widen, and his chest rumbles from a cough that sends blood spilling from his lips.

"No, don't-"

"Kill her? Don't worry, I'll make sure it's even more painful than yours."

Onyx eyes dart towards the Queen. Long dirty blonde hair curtains her face as tears freely flow from her eyes. Quickly bolting her head back up, she diverts her eyes toward her dying husband's glance as the knight forcefully grabs her arm, pulling her roughly to her feet. She wobbles on her feet, which causes the guard to pick her up, throwing her over his shoulder as if she was a sack of rice. She cries out with desperate pleads to let her down and to get help for her husband, but they were all ignored.

As the guard makes his way towards the door, Mebuki mouths, "I love you," to her husband. She's always been a positive woman, thinking that bad situations will have its way of becoming better, but she realizes now she was a fool to think that. No happiness can ever emerge from the situations her and her Land is facing.

"I love you, too," he mouths back, coughing up more blood in the process. His eyelids grow heavy with each passing second, and soon his vision starts to become blurry. His blue eyes become dime as his eyelids fall over his eyes, forever shutting out the light from them.

Mebuki cries as another screams rips its way through her throat, leaving a sharp burning sensation in its wake. "No, no, no," she yells, through tears. The knight makes his way out of the room as a final outburst slips past Mebuki's lips. "NO!"

"You shouldn't worry about your _late_ husband so much, your Majesty," the man says as he follows behind them. "He's dead. There's nothing you can do to bring him back. But I do suggest that you worry about the life of your innocent daughter and yours as well."

"What are you going to do to us?" Her voice is low again as it escapes her lips. She trembles with fear from the threat he bestowed upon her and from the loss of her husband.

The man doesn't answer her question. His finger comes up and taps the infant's nose, causing the small child her to wrinkle her nose, but she does not wake from her looks up from the child and smirks at Mebuki, chuckling to himself.

"First," he says withdrawing his sword from its sheath which causes Mebuki's eyes to widen with fear, "I'll need to get rid of him." In a blink of an eye, he vanishes before her view.

She could have sworn she saw him in front of her, but his quick vanishing trick is quickly forgotten when she hears a moan escape a man's throat and quickly twists her body in the guard's hold. The King of the Land of Flames is on the ground, blood spilling from his chest.

He struggles to prop his body up against the wall and places a shaking hand over his wound. "We had a deal," he hisses through clenched teeth, "and you betrayed me!"

"I didn't betray you since I did not agree to fight alongside you." He slowly brings back his arm and swiftly brings it forward, slashing the neck of the King. He delightfully watches as his body goes limp, his arm falling to the ground as his head drops against his chest. "Second," he says gazing upon the baby in his arms, "I have a special place for her and for you in mind." He slowly lifts his eyes towards the horrified Queen."Oh, but at separate locations, and I can guarantee that she wouldn't survive or you."

Mebuki kicks the knight's chest and pounds on the knight's back which only causes him to tighten his grasp around her. "Release us," she sternly demands, mustering up all the courage she has remaining in her body.

The guard and the man ignores her as they calmly make their way out of the castle. At the front doors awaits their getaway transportation. A black carriage is attached to two black stallions who appears unfazed by all the smoke and screams that fills the night air. A knight on a grey horse is positioned in behind the carriage. Long, pale blue hair sticks out from under his helmet. Mebuki instantly recognizes the knight, but shows no signs on her face that she does.

The knights throws her roughly into the horse drawn carriage, where a man dressed in all black with silver hair,patiently sits with his legs and arms crossed. Mebuki rearranges herself, getting ready to bolt from the carriage, but the man enters and sits beside her.

The black door shuts behind him, and the carriages takes off down the trail that leads out of the Kingdom.

"Give me my daughter," Mebuki sternly demands, her eyes red rimmed as she holds out her arms to accept her child. The man surprisingly complies and hands her the bundled child. Mebuki holds her to her chest, as the tears start to flow again. She decorates the infant's forehead in kisses, leaving red prints from her lipstick.

"I've received word that the Land of Flame is no more," the silver haired man informs. His eyes open to reveal onyx orbs. "And we've captured what you were targeting."

"What? Why did you attack the Land of Flames if you're helping them," she exclaims, her voice stern and unwavering in her throat. "Why would you attack us both? It makes no sense!" Clutching her baby closer to her chest, she glares daggers at the dark haired man which does nothing to shake or stir fear in him.

"Of course it wouldn't make sense to you, because it is none of your concern, your Majesty," he says with a sly smile. "I did help them, but not for their gain, but for _mine_."

"What could you possible gain from taking away so many innocent lives?"

"That's for me to know and well, for you to never find out."

They make their way through the flaming city, the bloodcurdling screams have diminished and all that can be heard is the crackling of the flames and the hoofs of the horses that clack against the ground.

Mebuki stares out the window in horror with glassy dark green eyes. Her kingdom lights the night sky. Smoke blankets the land as blazing flames of red and orange can be seen consuming all that stands before it. The corpse of her people lay scattered on the ground. She was living in a nightmare.

"The knights," she breathless murmurs, "they were never under the command of the King from the Land of Flames, were they?"

"You catch on fast when you lose the things you hold dearest, don't you," he says mockingly.

Closing her dark green eyes, she looks away when she feels a light pat on her tear stained eyes meet with her daughter's innocent emerald eyes full of wonder. A smile spreads across her thin lips when her mother looks at her which causes a high pitched shriek of excitement to pass from them. Ahalf smile graces Mebuki's face. She giggles and presses her forehead to her daughter's as the tears continue to fall.

She cries for the civilians that died for no reason; she cries for her kingdom that will no longer exist. She cries for her dead husband whom she'll never feel his lips against hers or his touch ever again; and she cries for her daughter who will most likely have her life cut short.

"It's okay, baby. Mama's here. Mama will protect you and keep you safe," she murmurs, as her child pats her cheek again.

"Now, now, your majesty, should you really be promising your daughter something you can't keep?"

The view outside the window changes to the green of grass and trees that seen flying by the window, signalling that they have exited the Kingdom. The sight which would usually calm Mebuki down and bring her peace, fails to do that. She trembles with fear from the two mysteries men in the carriage with her, knowing that they're capable of almost anything, seeing as the man to her left single-handedly brought the downfall to two strong Lands.

"She is my life now, and I'll do everything to protect her." She straightens her back, holding her head high and keeps her child held closely against her neck. Small fingers tangle themselves in Mebuki's hair, tugging on it gently prompting another high pitched giggle to escape from her lips.

"Watch your life fly out the window."

"Wh-" Strong hands come down upon the small child, ripping her away from her mother's embrace as he tosses her out the window. A piercing scream rips through her throat as her arms are held out towards the window to grab back her daughter before he threw her out the window. Tears form their way back in her eyes as they fall at will. Standing abruptly in the carriage, she plans to jump out the window to get her daughter back, to make sure she was okay and no harm had been inflicted onto her, but the hands that ripped her infant from her hands push her down, back towards her seat.

"Look at that. Your motherly love didn't save that girl because she's going to be going to a better place than where you will land up." Onyx eyes look tauntingly into dark green eyes as a smile forms at his lips. " _Heaven."_

Violent sobs rip their way through her body causing her shoulders to shake as her head collapses into her hands. The two men locks eyes with one another when he sits back down and maniacal laughter fills the air.

Behind the carriage, the knight follows on horseback. Green eyes widened when he saw the princess was thrown out of the window and landed on the grass. He didn't hear cries from the infant, only from the Queen in the carriage with the men.

The knight pulls on the reigns causing his grey horse to come to a stop to which it stop. He quickly jumps off his horse and sprints the short distance towards the child. With each step he takes he dreads the worse as he cannot hear a single sound coming from the child.

Standing above the princess, he is met with two innocent emerald orbs staring up at him. She laughs when she sees him and claps her hands together. He is in awe as lifts his visor from his helmet, his dark eyes connecting with the princess as she reaches her arms out to him. Lifting her up into his arms, he is grateful that she landed into a flowerbed of wildflowers that cushioned her fall.

The child grabs hold of his long, pale, blue hair and tugs on it, laughing to herself. The guard smiles half-heartedly at the child, before turning his head towards the direction the Queen was taken in. The black carriage has been swallowed by the dark of the night. Looking back down at the child he vows to the Queen, the late King, and all the people of the Land of Nature that he will protect and raise this child on behalf of them.

* * *

 _Nineteen years later_

"I'm off to the library, Aunty Tsunade," the young pink haired woman calls out from the door, swinging it open, waiting for a reply before heading out.

"Alright," the blonde haired woman answers. "Can you buy some things for me on your way home?"

"Of course," she gleefully says.

"Here's the list," Tsunade says as she makes her way towards her, holding out the paper.

"Thanks." She accepts the paper, placing it into her purse. She turns to leaves, but the sound of Tsunade's voice calling after her makes her stop.

"Sakura," Tsunade says, taking a step forward, "when you get back we'll go visit Dan, okay?" Tsunade's brown eyes fall to the ground between them.

Sakura approaches Tsunade, wrapping her arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Okay." She releases Tsunade and gives her a bright smile before turning around and making her way towards the door, shutting it behind her.

It's been nineteen years since Tsunade's husband, Dan, died. Neither Sakura or Tsunade aren't sure how he died, but Sakura recalls Tsunade telling her that Dan had been summoned to the Land of Waves to meet with the King, but he never returned. A week later a messenger shows up at her door informing her that he had been killed on his way back home. His body had been discovered on the side of the road and it appeared he was ambushed, killed, and robbed, but his body had not been sent home for a proper was only a baby so she's met Dan, but she could only imagine how great of a person he must have been since he saved many lives instead of taking them as he was a knight.

Strolling through the streets of her small town, she greets everyone who passes by her with a warm smile or she stops and chats with them for a bit before heading on her way.

The bell chimes above the door as Sakura enters the library.

"Good morning, Shizune."

"Ah, good morning, Sakura," greets Shizune with a smile on her face from behind the counter.

"Did anything new come in that I didn't read yet?"

"Not of any of the medical books that you like so much, but one new book did come in this morning." Shizune bends behind the counter and picks up a slim black book. She stands and walks towards Sakura holding it out to her. "Here you go. I found it on the ground by the door of the library so I haven't had a chance to go through it yet." Extending the book towards Sakura she says, "You can have the honour of reading its words' first."

Sakura gives her thanks before making her way into the library, locating a table by the window. She pulls out a chair and sinks into it. Taking off her purse, she sets it on the table and leans back into the chair as she opens the book.

The book doesn't hold any interesting information of medicine or even the human body that Sakura finds so fascinating. It was a book of curses. Sakura sighs with defeat as the idea of curses do not interest her as she believes that are do not exist and someone only came up with the idea in order to scare others.

Flipping through the pages of the book to look at the pictures, one curse in particular catches her attention. She pulls her chair closer to the table and sets the book flat on the table, placing her arms on it. Leaning closer to the book, she studies the picture with widen eyes filled with shock.

A black cherry blossom is shown on the left side of a woman's chest, directly over her heart. Sakura shakes as she studies the photo thinking it has to be a coincidence and that curses do not exist, but her brain tells her that curses are indeed real because she has the same black cherry blossom on the left side of her chest, directly over her heart.

* * *

"She's currently reading the book you asked us to plant at that library she visits weekly."

"Ah, is she now?"

"Yes, we have confirmation that she has. It also appears that she's found the page you were hoping she would find, as well."

A smirk forms across thin lips as his eyes onyx eyes reflect delight. "We will be expecting a visitor to my kingdom soon. Please clean out one, no _two_ chambers for when she visits."

"Yes, your Majesty." The silver haired man bows before leaving the King at his throne.

"You've managed to escape death last time, sweet princess, but I can reassure you that the next time I have you in my grasp, it'd be the last."

 **a/n:** for the time period, i had in mind the time period that "Tangled" was set in. sorry if it didn't appear to be that. I had difficulty finding the right years that i already envisioned in my mind of this au. this will be updated in a weekly basis (every friday)

who do you think the onyx eyed guy is :) I am not using OC characters for this story, since im not too fond of them and it'd take away from guessing who someone might be


	2. Chapter 2

_If individual has not found true love by the age of 20, he/she will die._

Emerald eyes carefully glide over the words over and over until they're engraved in her head. Her eyes leave the words and concentrate back on the picture. The black cherry blossom, looks exactly like her. She softly brings a hand up and delicately touches the spot on her dress where the supposed curse hides underneath.

Sakura was told by Tsunade that the mark on her chest was a birthmark, and that it is harmless; that she shouldn't worry about it because it doesn't mean anything, but she was still urged to cover it up, not to show anyone the mark.

Clenching her teeth, she abruptly stands and slips the book into her purse. She places her purse around her right shoulder and swiftly makes her way through the library towards the door. As her fingers brushes the handle, Sakura hears Shizune calling out to her.

"Sakura, you finished reading the book so fast?" Her eyebrows are raised with shock. She knows Sakura is an avid reader, but there was no way she could finish reading it so quickly.

"Um, no, I didn't finish reading it. I just remembered that Aunty Tsunade wanted me to go visit Uncle Dan with her so I have to leave. Is it okay if I take the book with me? I'll bring it back tomorrow." Sakura has always been a bad liar so she forces herself to look straight into Shizune's kind eye. She feels bad for lying to her, but it's for a good cause. She needs to know the truth.

"Yes, of course! Bring it back whenever you're finish, and um, I'll visit Dan later today, after work."

Sakura's eyes fall to the ground as she tightens her grip on the door's handle. "Thank you, he would really appreciate that."

Shizune nods, her eyes reflecting sadness and Sakura takes that as her cue to leave.

When she steps outside, Sakura sprints through the small town, ignoring everyone who greets or smiles at her. She doesn't stop to get the groceries Tsunade asked her to get instead she keeps running until she's home.

Anger streams through her veins, fueling her stamina to move her legs faster, and the courage that she'll need to face the one woman she thinks of as a mother.

She grabs the handle on the front door and pulls it open. She steps inside and spots Tsunade standing by the book shelf, wearing a black knee length dress.

"How could you lie to me all these years," Sakura viciously hisses, her voice laced with poison. "How dare you make be believe that all will be fine, when it's the exact opposite of that."

Tsunade's taken aback by Sakura's tone of voice. She takes a step forward towards the angry pinkette, her eyebrow cocked with confusion. "What are you talking about, Sakura? I've never lied-"

"You've never lied to me?" Sakura growls as she clenches her fist with rage. "Then explain this to me." She reaches into her purse and produces the book she borrowed from Shizune. She opens it to the correct page and walks towards Tsunade. Emerald eyes are narrowed towards the blonde woman as Sakura makes her way towards her.

Holding up the book to her face, Tsunade's eyes glances over the page and her eyes widen with shock. "Sakura, where did you get this book from?"

"Does it matter where I got it from? You've lied to me this whole time. You said it was a birthmark, but you've always urged me to cover it up, not worry about, but how can I not worry about it when it's actually a curse and according to the curse I'm going to die in six months if I don't find true love!"

"Sakura, that's not a curse, it is a birthmark."

"How would you know? You adopted me! You wouldn't know if it is a birthmark or if it is a curse!"

"Because your mother had the same mark on her chest!" After the words spilled from Tsunade's lips, she shuts her mouth and places a hand delicately over it. Her amber eyes widen from the realization of what she just said.

"W-what," Sakura stammers, "You knew my mother?"

Tsunade stares into Sakura's widen emerald eyes. Her mouth is agape as she waits for an answer that she doesn't get.

"How do you expect me to believe you about the mark on my chest when you told me Uncle Dan found me on the side of the road, but now you're telling me that you _knew_ my mother."

Emerald eyes search amber looking for an answer that she fails to find. Tightly closing her eyes, a tear slips from her eyes and trails down her face.

"I'm sorry, Sakura, but I can't-"

"Why did she give me up? Did Uncle Dan really find me on the side of the road? Does my father know? Where's my mother now?"

Glassy emerald eyes meet with Tsunade's and Tsunade can see that they reflect hope. Hope that she could tell her the truth so she can trust her again, but it's not that simple.

"Are my parents still alive?"

Amber eyes fall to the ground which causes Sakura to take a step forwards.

"Tell me!"

"No, your parents are dead," she whispers. "They died when you were just six months old."

"How," Sakura mumbles, "How did they die, and what was your relationship with them?"

The hope reflecting off her eyes burns through Tsunade and strikes her right in her heart, knowing that she's the reason that the girl standing before her is angry and sad because of her. The truth is meant to set one free, but if Sakura knows the truth she wouldn't be set free, she'll be in so much danger.

"Sakura, I-I"

"I've had it with your lies and your deception!"

Tsunade watches as Sakura quickly twirls around and storms off towards the door. She desperately calls out to her, pleading with her to stop, but Sakura doesn't stop. Trust no longer exists between them and it will no longer exist until she tells her the truth.

Sakura slams the door shut behind her which causes Tsunade to flinch. "I'm so sorry, Sakura, but I hope you'll understand that this is for your own good."

xx

Sakura makes her way through town with a destination already in mind.

She stands before a small house with flowers of all colours decorating the front lawn. She takes a deep breath to give her courage before she knocks on the door.

A girl with long, blonde hair tied in a high ponytail, with bangs covering the right side of her face greets her at the door.

"Care to join me on an adventure," she asks her with a mischievous smirk.

xx

"So let me get this straight," the blonde, Sakua's best friend, Ino, says, "The mark on your chest is really a curse and Tsunade's been lying to you this whole time because she knew your parents, but wouldn't tell you how she knows them, and because of that you want to go into the Land of Waves to find your true love?"

"Yep," Sakura simply states with a smile.

"Are you insane, Forehead," Ino exclaims as she throws her arms into the air. "Haven't you stopped to think about that maybe Tsunade kept all this information from you for a reason?"

"But what reason? What reason could there possibly be to keep it from me for _nineteen_ years."

Ino defeatedly sighs as she runs her fingers through her bangs. "I don't know, but are you certain that it's a curse?"

"Yeah. I mean the book is pretty vague, and not as descriptive as the other curses, but should I really risk it? It says when I turn 20 I'll die and that's in six month. _Six months_ , Ino."

"If it was a curse, don't you think that Tsunade would have told you? Maybe it really is a birthmark."

Sakura's eyes drop to the ground between them where they sat in Ino's room. "I don't know, but the book… it clearly depicts the same black cherry blossom mark I have on my chest. If it's not something real, how would anyone know about it? What if the curse is real and Aunty Tsunade was only meant to believe that it was a birthmark? I mean, this book could be a sign and I need to take it! Plus what if you find love in the Land of Waves," Sakura says with a wink, tempting her friend.

Ino playfully rolls her eyes as she thinks of the possibility of finding someone who would wholeheartedly love her, but a warning flashes before her mind. "But didn't Tsunade say for you to never to go into the Land of Waves?"

Sakura frowns as she looks away from Ino's bold, baby blue eyes. "Can we really trust what Aunty Tsunade has been telling me?"

Ino debates the idea of betraying Tsunade's warning and her parents to sneak off to the Land of the Waves to help Sakura to break the curse and maybe even find love herself. Blue eyes meet green as she smiles. "Looks like we're going to find your man, and mine! When are you planning on leaving?"

"Now" Sakura answers as she pulls herself off the ground, standing on her feet, "But I have a couple of things to be before we leave. Meet me in 30 minutes by Uncle Dan's grave."

xx

As promised, Ino meets Sakura at Dan's grave. Sakura is still in prayer when she hears Ino coming up from behind her. The footsteps halt beside her, and she doesn't need to open her eyes to know that Ino is also praying to him.

Sakura finishes her prayer, and opens her eyes to find that Ino was still in prayer. Sakes takes a couple of steps back to give her some privacy as she gets hit with a wave of second guessing her decision. She has to go into the Land of the Waves, it was her only chance of surviving to see the other potential years.

The footsteps approaching her snaps her out of her thoughts as she turns and finds Ino walking towards her.

"All ready," the blonde calls out to her.

"Let's go," Sakura says with a nod.

xx

"Your Highness, your father has asked to speak to you in his room."

"Thank you for informing me." The prince sheathes his sword after his training got cut short as he makes his way out of the practice room. He makes his way down the dimly lit halls of the first floor and climbs the stairs to the top of the castle. Knocking on the door of his father's room, he waits until he hears him calling for him to enter and does so.

He finds him sitting at his desk with his arms crossed at his chest. Onyx eyes meet with obsidian eyes of his son.

"You've called for me?" The prince says as he makes his way to the middle of the room.

"Yes, I did. I would like for you to make your way to the small town to the northeast of our Land, and deliver this letter to the blonde woman living by herself." He picks up a sealed paper from his desk and holds it out towards him.

His son frowns. "Why do I need to do this? Isn't that what messengers are for?"

"Ah, yes, but this woman has gotten enough life changing news from me from messengers and I think she'll appreciate it more if she gets this one from you."

"Very well." He walks towards the desk and accepts the letter, not questioning what life changing information the letter contained. He turns to make his way towards the door, but stops when his father calls out to him.

"Can you leave now? I want her to get this letter within the hour."

"Alright." He makes his way towards the door and as his hand touches the handle to shut the door his father calls out to him again.

"Thank you, Sasuke."

Sasuke doesn't turn around. He simply nods and shuts the door behind him.

From the shadows of the room, the silver haired man emerges from his hiding spot. "We've got the men ready to attack once he meets the intersection point."

The onyx eyed man smiles from his desk as he pivots his body towards him. "Excellent. Now we just need to wait."

"But what exactly are you planning, your Majesty?"

He smirks as he rises from his spot at his desk and makes his way towards the window. He spots Sasuke on his horse as he makes his way through the front gates of the castle and down the path that will lead him to the small town. "The beginning of a love story."

He eyes the silver haired man who has his eyebrow cocked with confusion. "I don't understand."

"Ah, let me clarify that. The beginning of a _tragic_ love story."

xx

"Are you sure about this, Sakura? You've had your glance on the ground for over twenty minutes now." Ino can tell that the decision to leave their small town and Tsunade was weighing Sakura down a lot. She knows that Sakura doesn't really want to go, but she understands her reasoning as to why she has to.

"I'm fine, it's just that I've never left the town before so it's kind of a scary experience, you know."

"It'd be fine! I've been there once with my father, and let me tell you, it's so beautiful! The water is so blue, and beautiful, and just so mesmerizing, you'll understand just why it's called the Land of Waves."

"Oh?"

Ino frowns, knowing that Sakura is lying. She's not scared to because she never left the town before, she's confused and sad because of what she discovered in a timespan of only an hour. "Did you tell Tsunade?"

"I wrote her a letter, and she should be reading it anytime now."

"You are certain that this is something you want to do, right?"

"Yeah, because now that I know Tsunade knew my parents and that they're dead, I need, I _want_ , to find out how they died. I want to know everything that Tsunade is keeping from me, and I just know that all the answers will be in the Land of Waves, as well as the destined person that I'm supposed to fall in love with." Sakura forms a determined fist with her right hand and brings it up to her chest with fighting spirits which causes Ino to smile.

"That's it, Forehead! Get fired up, because we will find all that you're looking for and I'll be right here to support and help you!"

Sakura glances at Ino and smiles warmly. She's known her since she was a little girl when she was insecure about the fact that she was the only kid in their small town who was adopted. The other kids made fun of her and constantly teased her to the point of tears for not knowing or having real parents, but Ino was there to send the bullies running, and they've been the best of friends since.

"Did you tell your parents?" Sakura's smile falters from her face knowing that she's potentially tearing a family apart, and Ino notices.

"Sakura, this was my decision to go with you, but yes I told them." Ino chuckles to herself as she diverts her eyes back onto the empty road that's surrounded by dense forests on each side of the road. "They told me not to go, that it'd be danger for the both of us, but I needed to go for your sake! I can't lose you, Sakura. You're my best friend and I think of you as a sister."

Sakura smiles warmly at Ino and goes to pull her in for a tight embrace, but pauses when she sees someone approaching on horseback. Sakura and Ino share a look when they see two men on each side of the road using the forest to hide their presence from the unexpecting rider. Without exchanging another word to one another, they nod and quickly run towards the edge of the road, using the forest to conceal their presence from both the rider and the men. Sakura takes the left side while Ino takes the right.

They swiftly run towards the two men, making sure that they wouldn't hear them. But when they're a couple of feet away from the men, they watch as the men pounce from the trees and attack the man on the horse.

The horse gets spooked from the surprise attack and raises onto its powerful hind legs which knocks the rider from his seat, and takes off down the road. The rider lands on the hard ground, but quickly recovers as he jumps to his feet and withdraws his sword, getting ready for a fight.

Sakura and Ino emerges from the woods. Ino attacks the man that is closest to her and quickly knocks the man at the back of his head with enough force, in the right spot, to knock him out. Sakura attacks a third man who jumped out of a nearby bush. His right hand forms a fist to knock the unaware rider to the ground, but Sakura quickly gets in between them, as she lands a sharp kick right to the attacker's stomach. He hunches over, gasping for air and Sakura quickly uses that opportunity to send a powerful punch right to the side of his face that sends him flying into the edge of the road. As she recovers from her punch she can hear someone charging towards her and she turns around, the rider jumps in front of her and points his sword towards their attacker. He cowers in fear from the sword that is inches from his nose and summons the courage to sprint into the forest, never looking back.

Sakura lets out a sigh of relieve, but quickly gasps as the sword is pointed towards her throat.

"Who are you, and are you associated with those men?"

"Whoa there, calm down and put down your sword," Ino softly urges, but he doesn't break eye contact with Sakura. His obsidian eyes are locked with emerald eyes as he searches for an answer. When he doesn't find one or hear one which causes him to move closer to her.

"I'm Sakura, and that's Ino, and no, we do not know those men," she quickly blurts out as she squeezes her eyes shut hoping the sword wouldn't pierce her throat. She opens her eyes again at the sound of his sword being re-sheathed. He hasn't faced away from her or even moved away from her.

"W-who are you, and why would those men attack you?"

The rider looks at Sakura with bewilderment. "Do you not who I am?"

"No," she answers truthfully, "Should I know who you are?"

Ino rolls her eyes, as she mumbles under her breath, her hands coming up to cover her face with humiliation.

"How do you not know the face of the Prince of the Land of the Waves."

Sakura's eyes widen with shock. "Prince?" She repeats breathlessly. "Oh my gosh, your Highness I never knew. I'm so sorry, please forgive my rudeness." She quickly bows out of respect, her apples of her cheeks are stained red from embarrassment.

He crosses his arms at his chest, as she stands straight, but keeps her eyes on the ground.

"You don't need to bow, since you did help to defend me, so thank you," he says as he extends a hand towards her. "I'm Sasuke, by the way."

She accepts his hand and shakes it, with a smile. "It's an honour to meet you, your Highness."

"Please," he says with a defeated sigh, "You do not need to call me that." He releases her hand after he finds her staring at their still joined hands. "So you're headed towards the Land of Waves?"

"Yes," she answers, "My friend and I are looking for somethings so we'll be there for a while."

Sasuke turns around when he hears the sound of hoofs pounding against the ground and discovers that his horse has returned. The black stallion comes to a stop beside him, and Sasuke reaches a hand up to delicately rub his face. "I hope you and you friend enjoy your stay, and maybe I'll see you there?"

"Maybe," she repeats with a sly smile.

He closes his eyes as he smiles to himself. He walks to the side of his horse and pulls himself up.

Sakura nods at him before she turns around and makes her way down the road with Ino.

"Sakura," he calls out which causes her to stop and face him, "Thank you."

 **a/n:** _they finally met! and turns out he's the son of the man who killed her parents ... ?_


End file.
